The Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (inCLASS): Preliminary reliability and validity of a system for observing preschoolers’ competence in classroom interactions

Abstract

This paper introduces the Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (inCLASS), an observation tool that targets children’s interactions in preschool classrooms with teachers, peers, and tasks. In particular, initial evidence is reported of the extent to which the inCLASS meets the following psychometric criteria: inter-rater reliability, normal distributions and adequate range, construct validity, and criterion-related validity. These initial findings suggest that the inCLASS has the potential to provide an authentic, contextualized assessment of young children’s classroom behaviors. Future directions for research with the inCLASS are discussed.

Linking preschool language and sustained attention with adolescent achievement through classroom self-reliance

“…We use direct observations of children's behaviors within the classroom settings as ecologically valid measures of children's self-reliance in school. While parental or teacher report are commonly used to assess children's behaviors, these informant-based, retroactive measures may not capture children's behaviors within the context of contextual demands (Downer et al, 2010). Observationbased measures assessed by independent, trained observers may be more sensitive to children's behaviors within the demands of the classroom than typically used informant-based measures.…”

“…Despite differences in terminology, these phrases all refer to a constellation of behaviors that reflect the focus, independence, and engagement that are thought to lay the foundation for academic success or failure (Pagani, Fitzpatrick, & Parent, 2012). While there is conceptual overlap between these behavioral constructs and the construct of self-reliance, self-reliance differs from these constructs in that it is a component of task orientation that demonstrates children's ability to take learning into their own hands through initiative, independence, and persistence (Downer et al, 2010). As such, children's ability to function with self-reliance in the classroom is a critical construct to consider when examining changes in academic achievement over time, as evident from research that finds that children's self-reliance is an important mediator of academic achievement (NICHD Early Child Care Research Network, 2008).…”

Where the Girls Are Not: Households, Teachers, and the Gender Gap in Early Math Achievement

“…When teachers manage behavior and attention proactively, students spend more time on-task and are better able to regulate their attention (Rimm-Kaufman et al 2009). Students in better organized and managed classrooms also show larger increases in cognitive and academic development (Downer et al 2010). …”

The Development and Validation of the Behavior and Emotion Expression Observation System to Characterize Preschoolers’ Social and Emotional Interactions

“…Therefore, although other direct observation measures may exist, these tools all provide different types of information, and none provides the frequency of both social play behaviors and emotion expressions. For instance, the Individualized Classroom Assessment Scoring System (Downer, Booren, Lima, Luckner, & Pianta, 2010) was developed to rate the overall quality of preschool interactions, the Minnesota Preschool Affect Checklist (Denham et al, 2012;Herndon, Bailey, Shewark, Denham, & Bassett, 2013) indicates the dichotomous presence of target behaviors related to social-emotional functioning, and the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders incorporates observation of the frequency of social behavior (Walker & Severson, 1990. These first two systems do not provide information on the frequency of social play behaviors or emotion expressions, instead providing a judgment rating of various social-emotional interactions or skills.…”